Twelve-year-old Lauren Richardson, M6HLR — one of the youngest hams in England — completed the Wainrights on the Air Challenge on August 1. The Challenge is an ambitious activity that involves climbing all 214 of the Cumbrian Wainright fells — hills and mountains, described in A. Wainwright’s seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells (1955–66) — and transmitting from each summit. She completed the entire endeavor in about 2 years, hiking with her parents. Lauren was the subject of a BBC Look North TV program, which was shot as she had just one more summit to go.

“When I was a kid, I actually thought it was like having an invisible string between the two radios,” she told the BBC, “but it’s really interesting, because you can get all way round the world just with an antenna and sending signals.” She said the experience gave her the opportunity to see all the types of weather the Lake District can offer, but that “it’s just lovely, whatever the weather.”

The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) congratulated Lauren on her accomplishment, noting that she is the youngest person to have met the Wainrights on the Air Challenge. “She is a great advocate for Amateur Radio and an enthusiastic role model for encouraging others of her age to get involved,” RSGB said.